Explore Asheville
Natural disasters threatened the greatest wealth of Asheville’s small town in North Carolina. But the inhabitants do not give up.
Hurricane Helene devastated in 2024 several North Carolina areas, including Asheville, a small town that now wants to recover its tourism. And now is a step closer to getting it – all thanks to sparkling and bizarre blue lights.
Are the Phausis reticulataknown as Pirilampos “Blue Ghost”: a rare species of scarab Bioluminescent that can only be found in the southern mountains.
These small living beings cause a fascinating effect in the forest: they can be bluish or greenish, emitting bright “dots” that attract the most curious tourists.
But drilling and other natural disasters (even light pollution) threatened these animals.
“Over time, there were flooding, there were fire, there were tree falls. It is when the forest is removed… what The pyrilampos disappear, ”explains the naturalist Jennifer Frick-Ruppert has .
“Pirilampos are very important for tourism and, although we have exhausted most of our experiences, this would have happened for months,” he says Nicolle wantsda Asheville Wellness Tours, that Lidera immersive experiences of pyrilampos.
Will encourages visitors to go with a local guide, both for a more enjoyable experience and to support recovery, avoiding disturbing animals in their natural habitat. “It’s a huge stimulus for people to go to our small businesses.”
